To generate interest in advance of the new Corvette's debut, Chevrolet on Thursday released an image of the sports car's redesigned Crossed Flags emblem. The new emblem is “much more modern, more technical and more detailed than before, underscoring the comprehensive redesign of the entire car,” General Motors design chief Ed Welburn said in a statement.

Also on Thursday, Chevrolet dealers were told that Corvette production will stop for six months, beginning in February, while the assembly plant in Bowling Green, Ky., is retooled to build the new car. Production of the 2014 Corvette will start in August or September.

Dealers were told the factory will stop accepting guaranteed specific orders for the 2013 Corvette at the end of October. Dealers can continue to submit orders for the 2013 Corvette until the end of December but GM won't guarantee that a specific combination of trim level and options will be built.

Production of the 2013 Corvette, the last of the sixth-generation of the car, is set to end in February. Last year GM said it would spend $131 million to upgrade the plant.

The redesigned 2014 Corvette is expected to be slightly shorter and significantly lighter than the current car, with an upgraded, more comfortable interior.

Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter notes that only two parts are being carried over from the 2013 Corvette to the new car--the cabin air filter and the rear latch for the removable roof panel.

“With the new Corvette, we set out to build a world-challenging sports car with design, refinement, efficiency and driver engagement that is second to none,” Juechter said in a statement.

A key component of the new Corvette, known as the C7 for seventh-generation car, is a new engine that will mark the fifth generation of General Motors' small block V8. The new engine was designed for the Corvette but will also be used in GM's redesigned full-size pickups and SUVs, which will also debut at the Detroit auto show.

Details on the new small block V8 are set to be released on Oct. 24.

Thursday's release of the Corvette's new Crossed Flags emblem is the start of a multimedia campaign by Chevrolet leading up to the new sports car's debut:

-- Chevy has launched a dedicated Web site, www.one13thirteen.com, where it will release a series of details about the car.

-- There is also a stream on the Twitter message service, @Chevrolet, with the hashtag #corvette. Chevy says people who follow the hashtag #one13thirteen will see exclusive updates.

The evolution of the Chevrolet Corvette's Crossed Flags emblem.

The history of the Crossed Flags emblems begins with the original Corvette concept car that was unveiled at the GM Motorama show at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City on Jan. 17, 1953. The original emblem used racing's checkered flag crossed with the American flag. Because the American flag couldn't be used on a commercial property, the emblem was changed to Chevrolet bowtie and the fleur-de-lis for the production Corvette, which started rolling off a temporary assembly line in Flint, Mich., in late June 1953.